Podcasts

The blessing and the curse of a show like Dexter is its inevitable season 4. Every show worth anything has one: the game-changing season, the one that’s obviously the best and no one can ever top it. For the rest of the time the show’s on air people’ll be like, “Yeah, but it’s not as good as that one season,” longing for the good old days of that one season, like it’s Mom’s recipe for cookies and while other cookies may be acceptable and even delicious they’re just not like Mom’s, and therefore, they suck.

I read an article before season 5 of even began production suggesting season 4 was so goddamn good that it had jumped the shark. By being too good. Because you could never ever top it. At the time I thought it was a silly notion, but as more time passes, and more people grow critical of the show for reasons I can’t understand much of apart from “it’s not as pants-pissingly amazing as the last few episodes of season 4,” I’m starting to believe it.

As fans, we’re not always quite sure what we want. On the one hand, lots of Dexter fans love the show the way it used to be; on the other hand, they understand that you can never go back to the beginning or it’ll all have been futile. Shows have tried and failed at this before (Heroes). And now Dexter is in an awkward position of being damned if it does and damned if it doesn’t. People are growing tired of the formula, tired of Dexter still confronting problems with himself that he had in season 1, but at the same time, when he evolves and grows and learns from his mistakes, people complain that he’s not like he used to be. How can he possibly be both things? And yet we want the opposite of whatever we get. The grass is always greener, etc. I think sometimes we long for a time machine, so we could go back to that time before we knew and were used to Dexter, and still be surprised and amazed that it even exists at all. I think a lot of the complaints people have with the show are based in some inherent desire we all have to be, I don’t know, younger again.

But when you have a mind-blowing life-altering experience, you’re not going to be the same person you were before. And when you live in the universe of Dexter Morgan, one in which literally every day is a harrowing battle of life and death and also bath time (in the best and worst ways), the stakes are always high, and sometimes things change. We’ve seen Dexter morph from a single serial killing bachelor to a serial killing widower and dad. He’s seen consequences for what he’s done. He’s seen love and loss. What kind of show would Dexter be if, after all these years, and after all these things that Dexter has done, and that have happened to him, he has never been punished, or never changed, or ever questioned himself? So stop asking for the old Dexter again. You cannot have him back. You can never go home. It will never be the same. Move on.

I won’t disagree that season 6 has had its share of problems. I practically shat myself on more than one occasion but I still didn’t feel the religious fervor for it that I felt in season 4. (And you know what? Season 4 had ITS share of problems, too, it’s just everyone forgot what they were in retrospect.) And when I did some soul searching and asked myself exactly why that was (for me this is heavy soul searching), the answer was exactly what I said above: it’s like reading Harry Potter for the 13th time (this applies to almost anything you’ve read or seen excessively). It could still be the most amazing book you’ve ever read, but no matter how hard you try, you can never go back to the first time you read it. And you want to. You remember the feeling of magic, the excitement of its newness, the disbelief that something so cool could exist. But now it’s a part of your life. If someone came up to you and said, “Hey, you should check this book out. It’s about a boy who goes to a wizard school,” you’d be like, “Yeah, and?”

So stick with me while I try to understand the negative reactions to season 6 when I don’t really feel that way, and then we’ll speculate a bit on the lasting repercussions. (Which, by the way, was one gripe I heard people going on about with this season. “It was pointless.” Only inasmuch as TV as a whole is pointless, but apart from that….)

If you wanna check the other two posts I’ve made about this season for Nerds in Babeland, check them right here for the most recent (surprisingly not wholly outdated) and here for the earlier one. And if you’re super curious and want to know the thoughts of several, check out the Dexter podcast I run, Let’s Talk About Dex. (Actually last week we interviewed Dexter‘s costume designer, which was amazingly illuminating and inspires and defines some of the points made in this post.)

There are spoilers up to and including 6×12 after the jump. (There are also links to individual sections so if you just got here by Googling, Eliot’ing, or Netrangling one thing, you can skip straight to that part, since I am well aware that this is the size of a novel. But get over it. Anyway I’m just not putting the links before the jump because they are spoilers in and of themselves. Except this one: Louis Greene.)

It’s days like these that I kind of wish I hadn’t decided to only do two or three Dexter posts this season and that one of them wasn’t going to be after episode 6, as it’s a terrible shame to deprive oneself of the opportunity to humbly brag about how you totally either called or in the very least ominously foreshadowed a bunch of shit that apparently was all going to happen in the same episode.

(Actually I kind of can. I have proof. Along with a couple of other people who are neat, including some from this very blog, many of the twists and turns of this episode had been at least vaguely anticipated in our Dexter podcast, Let’s Talk About Dex. Which you should check out. I’m going for a Nerds in Babeland bump).

Below you’ll find a quick recap of the season so far, along with several hypotheses for the future that may or may not be correct and the occasional bout of congratulating myself on being a master of the universe.

So for those of you who haven’t seen the most recent episode of Dexter yet, don’t ruin the most mind-blowing badass experience you may ever have watching an episode by clicking the jump. I know people like you are out there, and while I appreciate that you actually read these things at all, it would upset me to know that you’d completely ruined one of the few chances one has in life to react to a television show like Jack Donaghy reacts when receiving a cool toy as a child.

In every SF Squeecast episode, our contributors (and occasional guests) will each bring SF works that make them happy — both new discoveries and old favorites — for group discussion. Other elements in the podcast include an irreverent question and answer segment and the occasional topical discussion over a virtual cup of tea.

The SF Squeecast combines humor, passion, and professional experience in the SF field into a never-ending convention panel discussion of “don’t miss this” science fiction and fantasy works in all formats. Our regular contributors include two-time Hugo Award-winning and Theodore Sturgeon Award-winning author Elizabeth Bear (The Jenny Casey Trilogy, The Jacob’s Ladder Trilogy), Hugo-nominated New York Times Bestselling television, comic book, and prose writer Paul Cornell (Doctor Who- “Human Nature,” Action Comics), Campbell Award-winning, Hugo-nominated New York Times Bestselling author and musician Seanan McGuire (October Daye series, Feed as Mira Grant), Hugo-nominated editor and curator Lynne M. Thomas (Chicks Dig Time Lords, Whedonistas), and Hugo-nominated, Tiptree and Andre Norton Award-winning New York Times Bestselling author Catherynne M. Valente (Palimpsest, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making).

For more information about the SF Squeecast, please visit http://sfsqueecast.com or email us at sfsqueecast@gmail.com

Yesterday, a new science fiction audio drama called The Minister of Chance was officially released. I’d like to share with you my review of Episode 1 (originally posted on Geeky Pleasures), as I think it is something many of the readers here at NiB will enjoy.

Officially released yesterday, The Minister of Chance, is a masterfully produced audio drama from the UK. Superbly acted, with an amazing cast of characters, and with rich, lavish, immersive soundscapes, you are magically hurled into the reality that is this story.

In Episode 1, you’ll hear the voices of:

Julian Wadham – The Minister

Jenny Agutter – Professor Cantha

Lauren Crace – Kitty

Paul Darrow – Lord Rathen

Stuart Fox – Porcher

Richard Garaghty – Match Werming

Lloyd Hutchinson – Menin

Gareth Jones – Corporal Sona

Petra Massey – Gurk

Sylvester McCoy – The Witch Prime

Paul McGann – Durian

Kane Sharpe – Rosta

The Minister of Chance is a work of wonderful science fiction, in which science has been outlawed in favour of magic, scientists are imprisoned by the ruling magic class in order to fashion weapons of mass destruction and war has broken out. The story may not be new but the way in which it is delivered certainty is. It is a wonderful commentary on many of today’s current issues in the world; from the battle between superstitious thinking and science, the struggles in the Middle East for democracy and freedom and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. When Episode 1 was recorded last summer, the struggles of Northern Africa had not yet begun, however the Iranian protests were not a distant memory.

Entertaining and engaging, I found myself having to re-listen to Episode 1 a few times, as there is just so much going on and layer upon layer of rich sounds, which caused me to get lost in them and caused me to want to listen one more time, in order to hear all that was going on. Then that one more time became another, until I had realised I was listening to it for the forth time.

Normally, my brain has issues listening to audio-only which requires active listening (audiobooks as an example) rather than passive listening (music as an example). I do not do well when read to, unless I am following along with the reader. Unless I am engaged in conversation or watching a presentation, my mind gets bored and I wander and drift away into other worlds. Listening to The Minister of Chance, I never got bored as it allowed me to wander and drift into the world of Tanto and drink up the atmosphere. I could smell, taste, see and touch the environment.

Aside from the wonderful sound and voice acting, the dialogue is brilliant. It is witty, charming, intelligent, humourous and you may not want to sit down with grandmum over tea to listen. There is some not suitable for work language, however it is never gratuitous. Every thing is purposeful and I think it serves its purpose well.

I am not sure how much I want to get into the events of the first episode. I am afraid that if I did, it would end up being a spoiler. I will tell you, this is a must purchase and listen. I think The Minister of Chance will be enjoyed by all, not just science fiction fans, as the story and production is engaging enough to entertain audiences of all forms.

I do not think I can stress enough that this is a must . Not only is it highly entertaining but after Episode 2 is released in April, there will be no future episodes produced until enough funds are raised. You see, this is a completely independent project, with no outside advertiser funding, grant funding or BBC funding. There will be multiple seasons, each consisting of 6 episodes. Each episode will be produced as the proceeds from direct sales allows. It really is a wonderful sales model, but it does depend on your support.

And remember, tonight, Friday, March 18, 2011, beginning at 7 pm PDT, 10 pm EDT, 2 am (Saturday) GMT, my interviews with Lauren Crace (Kitty) and Sylvester McCoy (The Witch Prime) will air on the Geeky Pleasures Radio Show on The Force 925 (@TheForce925). We discussed a little bit of the making of, the plot and how it can be related to today’s global events, character development, other projects they’ve worked on and are currently working on and more.

Sylvester came to prominence as a member of the comedy act THE KEN CAMPBELL ROADSHOW. His best known act was as a stuntman character called “Sylveste McCoy” in an entertainment entitled AN EVENING WITH SYLVESTE McCOY THE HUMAN BOMB where his stunts included putting a nail up his nose, stuffing ferrets down his trousers, exploding a bomb on his chest, and if the audience behaved themselves, setting his head on fire. As a joke, the programme notes listed Sylveste McCoy as played by “Sylveste McCoy” and, after a reviewer missed the joke assuming Sylveste McCoy was a real person, Kent-Smith adopted this as his stage name, some years later adding an ‘r’. Well known for playing the seventh incarnation of the Doctor in the hugely popular TV series DOCTOR WHO, he then revived the role in the Doctor Who television movie with Paul McGann as the eighth Doctor. Notable television appearances before he gained the role of the Doctor included roles in VISION ON (where he played Pepe/Epep, a character who lived in the mirror), an O-Man in JIGSAW and TISWAS. His stage performances range from the title role in The National Theatre’s production of THE PIED PIPER and The Fool in Trevor Nunn’s KING LEAR alongside Ian McKellen for the Royal Shakespeare Company to Mushnik in the Menier Chocolate Factory’s LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS and Puck in Welsh National Opera’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. He has just finished playing ‘Grimes’ in a highly acclaimed production of Evelyn Waugh’s DECLINE & FALL and also portrayed, on the stage, two famous movie comedians: Stan Laurel and Buster Keaton. He recently guest starred in an episode of the BBC’s series DOCTORS playing an actor who once played the time-travelling hero of a children’s television series called The Amazing Lollipop Man, especially written for Sylvester. He will shortly start filming in New Zealand in the role of ‘Radagast The Brown’ in Peter Jackson’s movie versions of THE HOBBIT.

I want to go under the assumption that most nerds have heard of the Nerdist podcast, but my experience has told me that is not true. For those of you who don’t know, Nerdist is a podcast hosted by comedian Chris Hardwick along with Jonah Ray and Matt Mira. (Editor’s Note: This blog, Nerds in Babeland, exists because of Chris Hardwick and the Nerdist/Node. We all met on the Node and our logo is inspired by the Nerdist’s sprocket logo. Just a lil trivia for you.) Until recently the podcast had new episodes once a week and featured a different guest interview which played out as more of a conversation between nerds. The past couple of weeks have seen a second episode in the week that just has Chris, Jonah, and Matt talking about various things. The podcast is one of my favorites and has gotten me through many shifts at my job in my University’s library.

One of my favorite episodes to date was when the current Doctor in the series Doctor Who, Matt Smith, made a very special guest appearance. Now, I understand it just worked out really well that he was on a promotional tour (including a stop at Craig Ferguson’s show that also included host Chris Hardwick) and the whole crew was in the States anyway to film the new season, but it was still great that this special episode of Nerdist was able to happen as it did. Some of us over at Node (which is the site created by Chris to double as a street team and social networking site for nerds) have been thinking that it would be great to get David Tennant on the podcast as well. I’m assuming Chris wouldn’t be opposed to this happening, considering he was dressed as the Tenth Doctor at the recent Gallifrey convention.

I realize it would take a lot of things falling into place correctly to turn this dream into a reality, but we figure some fan support couldn’t hurt. We created a fan page on Facebook to get the ball rolling on this, and would really appreciate it if everyone reading this would go join. Afterward, if you could take the simple extra step of posting it on your own pages and maybe on Twitter as well, we would owe you lots of hugs and smiles. So please go now and take the 2-5 seconds to “like” our idea in a more public manner.

I think it’s worth noting that we have not discussed this with Chris Hardwick or anyone else at the podcast. We’re just going off an assumption that they would enjoy this if it happened. The fact that Matt Mira tweeted about it makes me believe it was a good assumption to make…

Anyway, that is the story as it stands now. The people behind the “David Tennant on the Nerdist Podcast” petition thank you greatly for your support. As Chris would say at the end of his podcast, enjoy your burrito.

[Hey! You! RSVP on Facebook!] It’s been two crazy years since we started this little Down in Front thing, with no idea of how many people would get into it. I mean, it’s a hard sell, on paper.

“A two hour podcast where four industry guys have a beer and figure out exactly what’s wrong with Terminator 4? Um, it’s a bad movie, it made Christian Bale mad, nothing happened. Duh. What’s right with Die Hard? Everything, of course. Let’s leave it at that.”

But it turns out, folks really like smart conversations about movies. Or we’re charming. Or funny. Or seductive. Or good at this.

Eh, probably seductive. And we provide alcohol.

Anyway, the show has been a big damned success, and – despite our confusion – we’re excited about it. So we’re really, really, really excited to announce that for our 100th episode and the first episode of year three, we’re doing a GIANT LIVE SHOW AT MELTDOWN COMICS.

And we’re doing the most-requested movie we’ve had: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.

Meltdown is the premier nerd destination on the west side of the North American continent, and it’s situated square in the center of downtown Hollywood. The short version is, it’s the biggest comic book and pop culture shop you’ve ever seen. It’s Comic-Con with an address. (And no Twilight panels.) The even shorter version is: it’s the best place on Earth. Not to put too fine a point on it, but Meltdown is mecca for a Down in Front listener. (It works the other way, too: if you like Meltdown, you’ll love Down in Front.) And that’s exactly where we’re going.

Mark your calendars, and fill your gas-tanks, because if you’re within a day’s drive of Los Angeles you’re going to want to join the party: Friday, March 4th, at 8 p.m. $8 at the door buys you a seat and free booze. (I said free booze just then.) (I did it on purpose.) (Free booze. I did it again.) You can expect a seriously fun time spent with the four of us, Indiana Jones, and a big damned excitable crowd of people who love Raiders of the Lost Ark as much as you do. It will be the only place to be for a filmy geek that weekend.

(Free booze.)

Show up a bit before 8:00 p.m. and browse around the store, buy things, do what you usually do when you find yourself in the coolest nerd store on the planet. (Except for that one thing you do. There’s security cameras, people.) At 8:00, we’ll head back to the gallery and start filling you up with DIF juice – literally and figuratively – as we discuss the mind-bendingly awesome RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.

Afterwards there will be a QnA with the panel: Teague Chrystie, Brian Finifter, Michael “Dorkman” Scott, and Trey “The Amazing” Stokes. Never heard an episode of the show before? Well, you could start now, or just trust us: it’s a good time. Bring your friends, bring your enemies, bring your mom. It’s on.

Warning: These reviews are moderately if not completely profane.

This past year has had it’s ups and downs and I have found that there have been many podcasts that I needed to get through a lot of the hard times. These mini reviews (which will be sporadic in coming up because my computer is dead and my internet access is limited) are my way of thanking five that have brought laughter into my life.

So thank you.

#5: Walking the Room
(I’m sure that Greg and Dave will probably complain that they are #5 out of the five mini reviews I’ve written, but to give them a bit of perspective, I listen to about thirty podcasts so the fact that I’m taking the time to write, this is a word hug to my cuddlahs.)

Walking the Room is one of the most vulgar and violent verbage out there when it comes to podcasts and I love every fucking minute of it. Greg Behrendt and Dave Anthony don’t veer from letting the F-bomb fly and their mock animosity for each other is HYSTERICAL! They like to play “Here’s What I’ll Do” followed by a lengthy description of the unconventional death of the other. At one point one of them talks about going out, buying a pair of Doc Martens, and then kicking the other in the face. I think it was Dave. I laughed so hard, on the pee scale, I would give it a four out of five drops.

In one episode, Greg and Dave lament the death of the “guy’s guy”. They go on an extreme tangent about the search for the next “Steve McQueen”. If they remade Bullitt right fucking now I would punch someone in the gullet. It’s true. With the amount of rehashing of old plots, I would be hard pressed to find new blood to play John McClane in a bastardization of Die Hard.

Their podcast is incredibly random. They end up ranting about various things but there is always one constant. They love candy. Super love candy. If candy was a dude they would light some candles and cue the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack.

Walking the Room is like being spanked, but with humor. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes you tear up a bit. But there’s always something that brings you back to it.

And I almost forgot!

I’m a “Cuddlah” FO LIFE!. Clown from the neck down.
Oh and I’m terrified of clowns, but just the makeup. Everything else is okay, so this picture is sublime.

Clown From the Neck Down

Check out Walking the Room on iTunesor add Walking the Room to your RSS feedor just pop over to libsyn and give it a listen

Warning: These reviews are moderately if not completely profane.

This past year has had it’s ups and downs and I have found that there have been many podcasts that I needed to get through a lot of the hard times. These mini reviews (which will be sporadic in coming up because my computer is dead and my internet access is limited) are my way of thanking five that have brought laughter into my life.

So thank you.

#4 Doug Loves Movies:
Doug Benson has to be the most productive stoner in the world. It’s amazing how much he ends up doing. In addition to his stand up, his BENSON INTERRUPTION theater extravaganzas and his fresh new viewing of the BENSON INTERRUPTION on Comedy Central, Doug has time to tell everyone that will listen how much he LOVES movies. His podcast originally started out as “I LOve Movies” but this year he changed to “Doug Loves Movies”.

In each episode he has a panel of people that talk about their love of movies or their complete lack of movie knowledge. The panelists are introduced and he’ll ask a few questions before they start playing games. They pick out people from the live audience to play for and the winner gets a bunch of stuff that all of the participants bring in.

Doug Benson, Samm Levine, Leonard Maltin, Morgan Murphy

Sometimes Doug will play the build a title movie game, but every week They play the Leonard Maltin game. He actually played the Leonard Maltin game WITH Leonard Maltin! (Don’t know what the game is? LISTEN AND YOU’LL KNOW!)

There is a reason why it is in my top five podcasts.

Check out Doug Love Movies on iTunesor add Doug Love Movies to your RSS feedor just pop over to the site and give it a listen

Warning: These reviews are moderately if not completely profane.

This past year has had it’s ups and downs and I have found that there have been many podcasts that I needed to get through a lot of the hard times. These mini reviews (which will be sporadic in coming up because my computer is dead and my internet access is limited) are my way of thanking five that have brought laughter into my life.

So thank you.

HOW ADORABLE IS THIS?

#3 Pod F Tompkast:
The Pod F Tompkast came out later in the year, but I found myself drawn to it like a hobo to a five galloon drum of fire. Paul F Tompkins is easily one of my favorite comedians and with his guest spots on Comedy Death Ray and regular appearances on other podcasts I listen to, when he announced that he was starting a podcast… I knew I had to give it a listen.

The best part of the Pod F Tompkast is that it’s bringing something often overlooked in the podcast ‘verse – a script.

In highschool, my favorite recordings to listen to were those of Firesign Theatre. The plights of Nick Danger, the episodes of “Beat the Reaper”… They were amazing. The idea that someone could make you laugh like a bastard just by tickling your ears was as foreign to me then as it is to the younger generations now. Now, we are bombarded by every sense. If there was smellovision, tasteovision and tactilevision we would be overusing them to the point that we wouldn’t leave our homes. But that all requires your complete attention.

Listening to Pod F Tompkast has brought me back to a simpler time that is much more complex than the youtube vloggers of today (has your brain exploded yet?). He tickles your earholes with his delightful tales of the partnership of people such as Ice T, the Cake Boss, and Dame Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber(everytime he says that I laugh so hard I die a little inside). This ten to fifteen minute interlude inspires the imagination and I laugh at the absurdity of it all. The backstory of cake boss’s soothsaying powers originated from Paul’s visits to Comedy Death Ray Radio, but they have evolved into so much more.

The next segment is a clip from one of his live shows. The first episode included a clip of him reading google transcriptions of his voicemails. I had to listen to it four times because I was laughing so hard.

The final segment is a conversation between himself and Jen Kirkman. They talk about how they met and occasionally Jen will share stories from her life. It is incredibly entertaining. It’s almost as if you’re sitting in a Starbucks and eavedropping on the FUNNIEST FUCKING CONVERSATION OF YOUR LIFE.

A slight sidenote – Paul F Tompkins has this really great idea that originated out of sarcasm. He had tweeted about being at a specific location and someone had asked him if he would come somewhere else. He told the person requesting it to have 300 people commit to seeing him and he would go out there. Thus the Tompkins 300 came into existence. I recently joined the facebook page for New Haven CT and if you are in the area and love comedy you should join. BUT! Do NOT join if you are not in the area. It doesn’t help anyone in the group if you do. We’d like Paul to come to New Haven, but not if there won’t be a bunch of people there to appreciate him.

Check out the Pod F Tompkast on iTunesor add the Pod F Tompkast to your RSS feedor just pop over to libsyn and give it a listen

Warning: These reviews are moderately if not completely profane.

This past year has had it’s ups and downs and I have found that there have been many podcasts that I needed to get through a lot of the hard times. These mini reviews (which will be sporadic in coming up because my computer is dead and my internet access is limited) are my way of thanking five that have brought laughter into my life.

So thank you.

#2 Comedy Death Ray:
Comedy Death Ray is sublime and has made it’s move to Earwolf Studios, a budding new podcast hub that will kick SMODcastle in the nuts. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll listen to the Kevin Smith stuff occasionally, but it’s not something I listen to regularly. Comedy Death Ray however is something that I listen to weekly.

Scott Aukerman hosts this weekly radio program with a guest co-host. Through the hour characters take advantage of the Earwolf “open door” policy by coming in and hopping on the radio. From El Chupacabra to Little Gary, you would be amazed at the comedic starpower that hops in. Many comedians come in as characters they have created or overexaggerations of celebrities (such as Paul F Tompkins as Ice T – In one episode he tells someone to eat a bowl of dicks. I don’t remember which one, so listen to them all.) Seth Morris as “Bob Ducca” makes me laugh so freaking hard. Especially when he lists all of his ailments. I know that Parallel Parkinson’s Disease isn’t funny, but… but… it is. Also, I want to lick Nick Kroll. That has everything and nothing to do with Comedy Death Ray, but I just figured I’d make that known to the internets.

Scott also plays games with the guests like “Would You Rather” or “Fortunately/Unfortunately” where the guests imaginations are taken to beyond their limits. There is a request for would you rather scenarios on TWitter and then Scott takes over from there. The guests are welcome to ask questions to help them choose the correct answer. If you are going to go straight to one of those games, might I suggest Episode #63 with Jon Hamm, Rich Sommer, and David Koechner as Jon Hamm mentions Bat for Lashes and I’m completely on board with that.

Comedy Death Ray is also where I found and fell in love with Steel Panther. Steel Panther is a current group of musicians that are bringing back the glam hairband rock. Of course, you should not listen to them if there are children in the room. You should also not listen to them if you are ovulating because you WILL get pregnant.

Subscribing to Comedy Death Ray will be your smartest move for 2011… AND IT’S FREE!!!!!

Check out Comedy Death Ray on iTunesor add Comedy Death Ray to your RSS feedor just pop over to EARWOLF and give it a listen